Learn ACA Survey Course Shows How Chiropractic Theory Has Changed and Where the Science Is Taking Us

For more than a century, chiropractic science—at least as offered by many chiropractors—was frozen in late 19th century medical thought. Because the founders spoke of “tone” and the “safety-pin cycle,” it became almost a rallying cry for many of the followers. But has chiropractic science advanced since that time, and if so, will chiropractors embrace it? Many of you have read my theory textbooks through the years, but have you kept up with our modern science? There is a new story to tell. The new story is based on solid science that dovetails nicely with science from related healthcare disciplines, and that places [the chiropractic profession] squarely in the middle of interdisciplinary recommendations for conservative spine care and positions us as a substitute for old-school use of opioids and back surgery--instead of putting us out on a ledge, preaching against interdisciplinary care.

An Introduction to Diverse Needs

While a chiropractic student, I traveled with a group of medical providers to a community in Ghana to provide supplies, assist with health screens in remote villages, and work in a local hospital within a variety of departments. During my time there, I interviewed different community members employed by the hospital or by non-governmental organizations working with the hospital about their perceived health burdens and openness to chiropractic. Unexpectedly, interviewees expressed that while they practiced a Western medicine model, there was some uncertainty on how much that body of knowledge applied to them since they felt so underrepresented in the studies that contributed to that knowledge. The patients and study participants described were rarely people that came from similar geography, cultures, and lifestyles or had physical characteristics they identified with.

The World Health Organization (WHO) held its 71st Assembly May 21-26, 2018 at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health, and uses the annual Assembly to set norms and standards for ethical and evidence-based healthcare policy. I had the honor of attending the Assembly this year as part of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) delegation. Over four days of plenary sessions, committee meetings, and technical briefings, I observed an impressive breadth and depth of operations at WHO—and a chiropractic profession that is primed for more meaningful engagement with the broader public health community.

In her open letter to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Healthcare, ACA Senior Scientific Advisor Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, offers suggestions to NCCIH on how to meet some of today's pressing healthcare challenges and, in particular, how complementary and integrative health care can play a role. She writes, "We desperately need a healthcare delivery system 1) that is able to consistently provide evidence-based, patient-centered care to the right individual at the right time, 2) for which the patient care trajectory for chronic conditions begins with the safest, most conservative, effective option available and, 3) that empowers patients and providers with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions that are deeply rooted in disease prevention and health promotion. Much work lies ahead in identifying how CIH practices can best contribute to this effort."

Anticipation for the McAndrews Leadership Lecture at this year’s National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC 2018) was heightened by the mystery surrounding the title of the talk – “Grilled Cheese, Candles and Beer”—and what it could possibly have to do with leadership. Presenter Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS, a respected author, journal editor, lecturer and professor of clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, not only served some valuable lessons based on his personal experiences and observations on leading “from the middle,” in the end he gave all gathered plenty to chew on.